


Two (or four) can play this game

by mmcxk



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternative season 7(?), Developing Relationship, M/M, Multi, OT4, Polyamory, Some team STRQ photos, Well Qrow photos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:40:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29442027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mmcxk/pseuds/mmcxk
Summary: Qrow has a lot of crushes and he just wants to ger a lot of 'not-boyfriends' out of it
Relationships: Clover Ebi/James Ironwood, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi/James Ironwood/Taiyang Xiao Long, Qrow Branwen/James Ironwood, Qrow Branwen/Taiyang Xiao Long
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	Two (or four) can play this game

**Author's Note:**

> Here I come with my first fanfic.  
> I think I'm kinda late for this type of story, but I've just watched the series in a week and I need to get it out of my sistem.  
> It all started 'cause I wanted Tai to show Clover and James some pictures of Qrow in the skirt, and then it went up to over 6 thousand words. I'm sorry, I guess  
> Brief side note, english isn't my first language so I apologize for any grammar or expresion mistakes, hope it's not too bad.  
> Anyway, hope y'all like it.

Between surprises, grimms, fights and the derailment of a train the trip to Atlas had not been easy. Qrow was used to that, truth be told. The only problem he had with all this was that for once he was not traveling alone, and that meant he had been endangering the children who accompanied him. 

Luckily they were already in Mantle, and what remained of the trip could not be too complicated, even with the embargo. It shouldn't have, at least. But of course, his semblance could not stay off and dull for fifteen minutes. A herd of grimms appeared in the city, and as it was obvious they were not going to stay aside, of course not. And as the children jumped to the attack he followed, what other option did he had?

Good side of that battle: no one was hurt and Ruby actually got her mechanic friend back. Bad part: they ended up arrested.

Two other side good things: they were actually taking them to Atlas, so the mission hadn't been a complete failure; and the man who arrested him. He hadn't had a chance to get his name, but at least he had his presence to brighten his view. At least until they decided to lock them up in a ship and disappear.

The journey and arrival at the academy were at least more peaceful. They were untied and led into Ironwood's office, where to Qrow's disappointment they were joined by Winter. It was a curious meeting, truths and lies meeting between the two groups, but as much as he was able to add the right words at the right times, there was only one thing on Qrow's mind: James Ironwood.

The last time he saw him James was much less tired, and ironically much more battered. The battle of Beacon clearly took its toll on all of them, but it seemed like the general hadn't stopped a single second since. That worried Qrow far more than he would admit.

When they met the team that had arrested them in the corridor, he could not prevent one of their ironic smiles from escaping. Now they were friendly, apologizing and saying how excited they were to work with them. He didn't buy it, in the end the same thing would happen with them as with Winter: they would not be bad people, but probably bad allies for what he needed.

"Qrow." The voice of the general behind him stopped him when both, children and soldiers, disappeared down the next corridor; however, his trained senses did not fail to notice that the captain was lagging a bit behind, looking at them with bad hidden curiosity. "I was serious, I'm glad to see you again."

The spy only had time to murmur an answer before the general's arms wrapped around him and pulled him as close to him as possible.

"I'm glad to see you too." His words were barely a whisper, because at that moment Qrow had another goal in mind. He took a small step back, without leaving the general's grip, and with a smile he brought his lips to those of the older.

Maybe it was because he knew that the other was looking at them and wanted to scandalize him, a little revenge for having arrested them without asking any questions before; or maybe he actually did miss James. He was not going to put too much thought on dat. Theirs was not a very normal relationship, it had never been because of all the obstacles they put on each other; but that did not take away what they had.

The soldier's footsteps disappeared down the corridor before their lips parted, and by the time they did, Qrow was smiling even more.

"See you tomorrow, Jimmy." And, without allowing the other to reply anything, he disappeared down the corridors to join the children. Someone had to show him where he could sleep.

  
  


Clover hadn't had the best of the nights. That he could admit, there was no denying with the dark circles under his eyes. What he couldn't admit was why.

Less considering that that  _ why  _ was walking by his side through the cold caverns. They moved in silence, just as they had been on the ship ride there. As hard as he tried to convince himself that he had to stop thinking about what he saw the night before his brain refused to.

Somehow he had managed to give the mission report to the two leaders of the kid’s teams and Qrow. He had been able to organize the Ace-Ops in such a way that they could bring out the best in the kids and, he would deny that he had done it on purpose, he had assigned himself to Qrow. After that the guilt and confusion had returned to him.

Burned into his memory was the image of Ironwood hugging the newcomer, the kiss they had shared and the words they had exchanged, the care veiled in them. He couldn't stop thinking about it, and the problem was that part of him didn't want to.

However, something else was in his memory, and that hurt him: James, General Ironwood as in theory he had to call him. They didn't have any kind of relationship, he remembered every day, but that didn't make him forget the few nights they had spent together. It was obvious that they had been moments of weakness, errors that although had been repeated a couple of times were still so.

“Gotta say." The black-haired man's words took him by surprise, he ended up raising an eyebrow in curiosity. "Still not really used to working with other huntsmen in the field."

"But you were on a team before, weren’t you?"

"Long time ago. I just found that working alone tends to be for the best " Clover's eyebrow arched a little, part of him wanted to know what he meant with those words, another wanted to comfort him, and there was another, a small one, that he kept gagged and caged in the back of his mind that asked him to just kiss Qrow.

Pushing those thoughts aside he managed to clear his mind a bit so that he could reply, "Well, I think that's a shame." As soon as he had finished saying those words, Qrow lost his balance, right next to him. If he had been a little less attentive to what he was doing, he would have gone face first to the ground. But luckily for him he was able to catch him on the fly, and tug him a bit to help get Qrow steady again.

With one hand on his shoulder and one on his arm, Clover found himself closer to the man than he had been before, but less than deep down he wanted to. And maybe he took a second longer than necessary to release him, and only did it because it was getting much harder to resist the adorable pout the other was doing; but those are things that no one had to know.

Before he could repent he walked again, trying to refocus his mind on the mission. After quickly checking how the other teams were doing, they walked carefully into the mine in case a grimm attacked them.

It took a long time for one to appear, and when it did it was the one they were looking for. The strange ghost was shuffling down the hall, dodging the olderr's shots in the air. Through the communicators he gave instructions to the other teams and finally deployed his own weapon to help.

The battle wasn't going as well as it could, but considering how elusive the being was they were doing quite well. At least until Qrow's scream distracted him. In hindsight, good thing it did. Right where he was going to take his next step one of the wall reinforcements fell, causing a collapse from which nothing would have come out well.

He quickly alerted the other teams of the situation, then turned to look at his partner. "Thanks for the call out. That could have been bad. "

"I wouldn’t thank my." The words sounded sour on his lips, and Clover could only arch a brow in confusion. “My semblance misfortune. Sometimes I can't keep it under control. "

Clover couldn't relate more.  _ Misfortune _ . Standing beside him Clover thought he understood why he was so attracted to the older man. It wasn't because of his appearance, or the way he moved and spoke, as if he did everything to stand out (of course not). His semblance called the other's. Their auras reacted by proximity.

Seeing the look on his face, he realized that Qrow clearly blamed himself for everything that was happening around him, so he quickly added something and looked for an alternative exit route.

That's so? Well, hey. Don't beat yourself up about it ." With kingfisher he pulled another column and stuffed the hole with pieces from the wall. “My semblance is good luck. Lucky you, huh. " With his next action Clover proved that he did not have a shred of self-control, because before he could think what he was doing he winked at Qrow. They stared at each other, and Clover was finding it harder every second to resist the older's big red eyes.

You can't do anything, Clover. He reminded himself. It is obvious that he has something with the General, with your superior. He couldn't be more out of your reach.

The rest of the mission was similar to those first minutes. He chided himself mentally every time he flirted a bit with Qrow, but he was unable to not do it again.

  
  


_ Clover Ebi. _ His name was repeating in his head over and over again, only interspersed with the words he had dedicated to him throughout the mission. The gestures, the smiles, the wink ... He was supposed to be the one who had to annoy the youngest for what he had done the night before; but it seemed that it hadn't affected him in the least, at least not in the way he expected.

When they returned he took refuge in James's office, at least there he knew what to expect.

But of course his bad luck had to act and he barely had time to greet him when the captain showed up there too. He hesitated for a second at the door, seemingly confused to see him there, but finally entered the room moving with the same confidence with which he had been moving all day.

"General. If it's a bad time, I can come back later. I only bring the report of the mission ”. His eyes traveled quickly between James and Qrow, who leaned against the leader's table with a smile and his arms crossed over his chest.

"No,  _ captain _ . Come in." As he always did, the military title was said with a bit of derision. 

"I’ll leave it here." On the table he placed one of the two wads of papers he was carrying, with the other he fiddled a bit, before placing it next to the other. "And the- the report on the... companions."

“Have you written about me, Cloves? Let's see". He reached out his hand for the papers, but didn't get very far before James slapped him on it.

"Behave, Qrow."

"You're not fun, Jimmy" he said with a little pout. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Clover shifting uncomfortably and that only made his smile widen. He was going to take revenge for what the other had done on the mission, and he was going to take revenge in a beautiful way. He placed his beaten hand on the back of the older’s chair and pulled it closer to him. "Besides," he added in a murmur that was only loud enough for Clover to barely hear them. "You tend to prefer it when I don’t stay still."

"Qrow ..." The warning was clear from his tone, and that only made him smile more. “If you don't need anything else, operative, you can leave. I will contact you when I read the reports. "

“Of course, General. Thanks." His eyes were still fixed on Qrow, and he only averted them when he turned to leave the office. 

“I would appreciate it if you would behave in front of my subordinates. I know it amuses you to scandalize people, but I don't think this is the best time. "

"Don't worry, Jimmy." He said with his gaze still fixed on the door. "I know what I’m doing." Maybe his time in Atlas was not going to be so bad.

  
  


James was very glad to see Qrow again, of course he was. But there was something that was bothering him.

They hadn't seen each other since the fall of Beacon, since they lost Ozpin and the world began to fall apart. At least things hadn't changed between them, the shapeshifter was making sure he found out about that. And the truth is, he didn't know how to feel about it. He had always assumed that Qrow's flirty attitude was largely due to alcohol, that he couldn't really be seriously interested in him. He had only been in Atlas for two days but was already making him change his mind.

First it was the kiss in the hall. That already left him confused and hopeful in equal measure; Although the smile he had when they parted also left him a bit confused. Now, with Qrow trapped between his body and his table and considering the way he was kissing him back, he was a lot less confused.

"Qrow ..." He had to use all his willpower to get away from him, but every time he did, the younger one would pull him back. "Qrow, seriously."

"You're not fun at all, Jimmy." He huffed. At last he let him part their lips, but what he didn't stop doing was moving his hands over his body, tracing both metal and flesh.

"I think the best thing for both of us would be to talk about ... this."

“We're not going to go back to the same thing, right? You know what I think of relationships, and more of those that have to do with me. I may have been drunk the other times, but what I said is what I think. "

"Then this is it." James tried not to let the disappointment show in his words. Deep down he already knew what was going to happen. But that kind of relationship was very rare for him.

"If you don't feel comfortable I'll stop, James," he said, causing the older man's face to grin. As much as he didn't like the nickname, he liked it even less when he didn't use it.

“I don't want you to stop. I just wanted to be sure. More after seeing how you behaved with operative Ebi. I am not a fool, Qrow. " Seeing the face of outrage he was unable to contain a laugh. What he couldn't contain either was the small light of hope that formed in his head. As much as he wanted to, he hadn't gotten close to Clover again after their two nights together, but if Qrow was really interested in him there was still a slim chance that the two of them would get to something again.

"Are you giving me your blessing to go after him?"

"Since when do you need it? No, it has nothing to do with that. It's just that I think it can be beneficial for Clover as well, he's been very lonely lately. "

"Clover?" At that precise moment James wanted to bang his head against a wall. "Well don't worry, I'll take care of  _ Clover _ ." Without asking first he reached into his jacket pocket and took out his scroll. “Now, since I don't want to distract you, and I'm sure you're a busy man, you'd better go organize your army. Or whatever."

"Are you kicking me out of my own office, Qrow?" He had indeed gotten up from his table and was pushing him toward the door with a smile that didn't make him feel comfortable at all. "At least give me a head start, I don't want to still be at the Academy when you call him."

He didn't even bother to answer her before closing the door in his face. For a moment he was about to reopen it and confront him for his actions. But in the end he decided not to. Because he came up with something even better, which would raise the spirits of Qrow and the children.

He had to go down to do some visits and a couple of preparations, he just hoped that the latest of Pietro's inventions was already ready for its first test.

  
  


When the general called him back to his office, Clover went with some fear. Since those nights of weakness they had spent together they had not met alone again except when he was going to deliver reports.

That he had called him now did not seem entirely a good omen.

It was probably just to cover some points of the missions to protect the Amity Tower, or about the reports that had given him a few hours before. He had nothing to fear. At least that's what he believed until the door opened.

On the other side, it was not the general who was waiting for him, but Qrow. That made him hesitate at the entrance, the image of the slim hunter sitting on the table was not only the last thing he expected to be there, but also too much for him.

"Come in, come in." Clover didn't trust him in the least, but the fact that he had summoned him through his boss's scroll convinced him that he had to. Although when the door closed behind him he regretted it a bit.

"Where’s the general?"

"Jimmy had things to do," he said getting up from the table and walking towards him with his hands in the pockets. "So I have decided to use the time to get to know each other a bit, since apparently we are going to work together."

"Of course. It makes sense. What do you want to know?"

With a gesture he indicated one of the chairs in front of the director's table and he himself stepped back to sit at the table again. Right next to him, forgotten, was a scroll that he would swear was James's. Had he robbed the general? It couldn't be. He would have given it to her himself, but he didn't understand exactly why, especially considering that he had left later. “So, your semblance is good luck. Does that work across the board? "

"Suppose? It's always on, so I guess you can say it does, yes." Qrow looked amused, as if something he wanted to say was slipping away. Clover simply looked at him, waiting. At least until he realized the way he was looking at him. It was the same look he gave him in the tunnel, similar to the one he had later given James as he leaned over his chair. Maybe he wanted to meet him, but he didn't feel like he wanted to do it as a partner. Well, two could play that game: “Although, well, I always like to see how far the limits of its influence go. And see how lucky I can get.”

It was worth it only for the flushed smile that spread across Qrow’s cheeks. The youngest stretched in the chair, moving a little closer to the other. His hand found Qrow's on the table and he tugged on it. He wanted to get closer to him, to see what could happen if they came together and what would happen if he let their auras come together in addition to their bodies.

He was inches from his lips when he realized what he was doing, where they were, and how bad that was. Qrow and James were in a relationship. Was he about to kiss his boss's boyfriend? As if he had received an electric shot, he rose from his chair.

"Sorry, I…" He couldn't even finish an excuse before he pulled him forward again.

"Don't go away when it seemed that we were beginning to understand each other." He could only look away flustered and confused. That couldn't be happening. No. He had always had a bit of a cheeky attitude with the people around him, he didn't cut himself off when he hinted at people; but he also had limits. And definitely people with a partner were within those limits. "Did I misunderstood it?"

Qrow sounded not only confused but also a little hurt, and he stopped holding his arms instantly. At that moment Clover wanted to hug him, he seemed lost, hurt; But if he got so close to him again, maybe he couldn't get away before doing something bad.

“I don't know- I don't know what you understood, Qrow. But this is not right. Not for Ja… for the general."

Qrow's laugh, the abrupt change in his attitude, threw him off balance. “Jimmy is not going to care. I thought that, wow, after how you've been flirting with me I thought you imagined it. We don't have a ‘conventional relationship’ exactly. "

"What?" He didn't understand what he meant by conventional, but what he did understand is that he could still be with Qrow without failing his morality, and that seemed almost more important to him. When the older man's lips rested on his, Clover decided that they could indeed continue talking later. It wasn't bad, actually it was good. Very good if he rated the kiss.

And for the first time in several months he got carried away. He let himself be carried away the same way he had only done before with the owner of the office in which they were. He let himself be dragged until his body was trapping the smallest one against the table that presided over the room.

Qrow was intoxicating, his touch and the way their bodies reacted were addictive. Their auras rose and crossed at the points where their skin touched. It was a lot to process all at once, and yet it was little for what he wanted deep down.

So distracted was he, so engrossed in the kiss, that he didn't hear the door when it opened. What he could no longer ignore was the fake cough that made him alert.

"At least you could have left my office."

  
  


James made the trip back to the Academy happy. Pietro had assured him that the machine was quite safe, and that the few tests they had done had all turned out fine. He had never tried such a long distance before, but according to his calculations, in a few days he should have it ready.

He was lost in thought, hesitating between telling Qrow his plan or surprising him. Both options had their pros and cons. Now it was his turn to weigh that. But first, whatever he decided, he needed to get his scroll back. He supposed that Qrow would have left it in his office, before he disappeared into some room with Clover.

That’s why he did not hesitate to go for the device. However, he was petrified for a second at the door. Neither man seemed to have noticed the intrusion, and James didn't know if he wanted to step forward and join them, or if he instead wanted to disappear and pretend he hadn't seen anything.

Maybe he stayed a second too long looking at the couple, observing how the muscles that Clover's tank top showed moved with each caress he gave to the other.

He was about to choke on his own saliva at the sight of that, but finally he just faked a slight cough that startled both men. "At least you could have left my office."

"I thought you had things to do." He hated and loved Qrow's tone in equal measure. That tone that sneaked in on his arousal and made him want to get closer even more.

Luckily for his self-control Clover spoke up at the time as well and distracted him. "General! I’m. I'm sorry. I didn’t meant to. We shouldn't."

“It’s okay, operative. Just relax." Lies. Yes it happened. It happened that with the eyes so wide and the rapid breathing in the end it turned out that it was not a good distraction. “I think the best thing would be for us to talk. With more calm. Maybe you can both join me for dinner? "

“The solution with you is always to talk. There are better ways to reach agreements, Jimmy."

"Of course!" Clover interceded, scandalized, giving Qrow a warning hit with the elbow. “Of course we can have dinner. With you, sir."

“Maybe it's time we move on to a closer treatment, Clover. At least outside of operations. I'll wait for you both tonight in my quarters. Now, if you don't mind Qrow, my scroll." When the black-haired man passed by, he brought his face closer to his, but did not get to meet their faces before moving away with an amused smile; his scroll back in the pocket. "At seven, Clover." It was the last thing he said, before turning to head for the kitchens.

Back there, still standing by his desk as if he had been petrified, he left Clover.

After his boss had caught him making out with what was something like his boyfriend in his office, Clover was just happy that he hadn't been fired.

The fact that he had invited him to dinner on top of it had him a bit on a cloud. It had to be a good thing, he wouldn't have invited him into his quarters if it wasn't a good thing. It was clear that to fire him he didn't need to give him dinner before.

When he got to the door, he did not allow himself to hesitate. Because if he did, he would most likely not knock. He had time to stop by his room and change into civilian clothes, remembering James's comment about not being in operations. Now he was wearing black pants and a blue shirt that had the sleeves removed. He had been doing this since his years at the Academy, and discovered that it gave him much more freedom of movement and now he felt trapped when wearing sleeves.

James greeted him with a small smile, still in his uniform but without his jacket or the holsters for his pistols. Qrow was there too, already sitting at the table also wearing the same clothes he was wearing before. Maybe changing had not been his best decision.

"Come in, please. Do you want something to drink? Dinner will be out in a few minutes."

“Water’s fine. Thanks." He walked past him and went to sit at the table, right in front of Qrow, who was looking at him with a smile and a twinkle in his eye that made his knees a little weak when he sat down. What he didn't do was say anything and just raised the glass to his lips.

Dinner was a bit awkward. That he could admit. Both he and James were weighing their words very carefully, although every time Qrow intervened, he did so with some less than decent jokes or innuendos. Even so they were able to dance around the subject they had to deal with. At least until the plates were empty and they moved into a small living room that James had. There they sat on the couches, the two of them on one and Clover on the other, right across a little table.

"Are you going to say something or…?"

"Qrow, please." James cut him off putting his hand on the opposite arm. "Understand that this is not something we've experienced before."

"That's why you have to talk about it, it's not that complex."

"So what is this?" Clover made a strange gesture between the three of them, which made Qrow laugh.

"It is a relationship." James intervened. "A bit weird one."  
"It's not weird," Qrow cut him off. “It is simply less serious and closed than usual. The fact is that I’m not very into the idea of ’serious and closed relationships’, personal reasons; but I am not opposed to a more relaxed one. "

"Shouldn't you discuss it with Taiyang?"

“Tai doesn't care, nor is it that we have a relationship. He's just my best friend. " From the look James made, it was easy for him to come to terms with the idea that, in fact, ‘best friend’ was not a term that he would use in that context.

"So ..." Clover said doubtfully. “The idea is that the three of us have a relationship at the same time, but not call it a relationship. And there’s a fourth person that I don't know who it is. "

"Tai’s my best friend."

“Taiyang is the father of Yang and Ruby. He was also Qrow's companion at Beacon, and his strange partner for some time." James explained. It was clear from the way he said it that he too had had a hard time understanding that relationship.

"Best friend."

"Whatever." The older's exasperated face only made Clover laugh.

There was a lot of tension in the environment, they couldn't deny that; but at the same time he felt that sitting there with them was where he should be. So he decided he wouldn't worry about the bad parts. Besides, the world was falling apart too fast around them, at least he wanted to be able to enjoy this.

  
  


After two days of relationship, James was already sure that he would not be able to take it anymore. They had agreed to keep it a secret, for the sake of his position and authority. However, Qrow and Clover did not believe it necessary to keep their part of the relationship so secret.

Every minute they spent together they were flirting in one way or another, and it was obvious that if he had seen them kiss in the hallways someone else had too. For a spy, sometimes Qrow surely forgot how to be discreet.

"Are you okay?" Speaking of the devil… He placed his hands on the shoulders of the older man, who was sitting in his office and brought his face close to be able to read what he was putting on his screen. There, as a mockery for him, were all the data on the Amity tower. Data that showed how little advanced they were in the project.

"Yes, finishing some reports," he said with a sigh. "How is that you are here?"

“Maria has written to me, on behalf of Pietro. He says that he has finished the tests of what you asked him. Something for Amity? "

That was the first good news he'd heard all day, so he couldn't help but smile. "No. In fact it is something for you. Will you accompany me to Mantle?"

  
  


Tai was used to seeing people appear out of nowhere in strange portals, Raven's fault; but every second it became clearer that she was not really sending that weird robot-girl.

“The machine has an average cooling time of ten minutes. However, this has been a longer journey than any other, the cooling time may increase exponentially. "

“I don't understand what you mean, girl. Nor why does Ironwood want me in Atlas. But I'd really appreciate an explanation. "

“It is my father's new invention. With it you can send people…”

“ Not about the machine. About why you came looking for me."

"Ah! Those are the general's orders. "

It was obvious that the smiling girl was not going to say anything else to him. He didn't know if it was because she was avoiding doing it or if she was really missing the question. By the face that she put both options were possible. With a sigh, he continued stuffing clothes into the backpack, along with a bag of Zwei's food and a couple of his toys. He was willing to go to Atlas to see what James wanted, but not to leave his dog behind.

Suddenly, from the girl, a ding similar to the one that microwaves make came and she jumped excitedly. "The machine is ready for the return trip."

With a new sigh, Tai saw the strange spiral that reminded him of Raven's appear before him, only it was blue. And with a gesture for Zwei to follow, he crossed right behind the girl, hoping he wasn't running headfirst into a trap.

  
  


When Tai appeared in front of him, right behind Penny and with a totally confused expression, Qrow couldn't help himself. Before he knew what he was doing, he jumped forward and threw himself into his best friend's arms, enjoying the strange and extremely high body heat that he gave off.

"Qrow! You are okay. Thank God." The hug he returned was strong, one of those that almost took your breath away and was his specialty. “And my girls? Are Yang and Ruby okay? "

Faced with the blonde's concern, he could only nod quickly, trying to calm him down. “They are in Atlas. But when Jimmy told me what he was up to, I thought it was too late for them, and I didn't want to wake them up."

"It's okay. They’re fine." Tai laughed relieved, and for the first time Qrow realized that it had been months since he last saw them.

“Ruby is in tip-top shape. Her combat abilities had increased by six percent since she's here." Penny's comment was worth it just because of Tai's face, who turned to look at the girl in confusion.

"Who is this girl, by the way?"

"My name is Penny. I'm Mantle's protector. "

"And a very good friend of Ruby's." James intervened then, stepping forward. “It has been a long time, Taiyang. And although the trip was basically instantaneous, I imagine it has been a difficult day for you; and there is still the journey to the Academy. If you join us, we can update you on the road. "

"Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world. "

  
  


Qrow still didn't understand how he had ended up in that situation, but every moment that passed was worse. Clover was doubled over with laughter, almost on the ground with how difficult it was going for him to stand upright, Tai was sitting next to him, with an amused smile and his damn scroll in his hand, and finally there was James, the traitor, who held his arms and kept his back against his chest, which move fast with laughter. At least he was more discreet than Clover.

It had been a little over a week since Tai's arrival, since they talked about their 'relationship' again to include the blonde a little more in it. And it was surprising and wonderful how easy it had been for all of them. At least until Tai had started talking and telling stories of all the years they'd known each other.

“I'm going to kill you, Tai. You are the worst best friend in the world. The worst."

“Hey, we're best friends  _ because _ I keep all your embarrassing photos. Besides, it's not my fault you ended up like this. "

"It's your fault for showing it!" The photo, that horrible photo he was projecting onto the wall, was from his years at Beacon. Of the second if he remembered correctly. In the photo he was hanging from their bedroom window, clinging to a scale of sheets that Summer had thrown at him. The problem was that halfway there, he blamed his semblance for it, a bird had tried to attack him and he had ended up hanging from the ladder, held by the ankle and face down. 

"Okay, okay. If you like it so little I have more. Do you remember the first day?"

"Don't you dare. I will kill you while you sleep."

His blush, in a shade that competed with his eyes, caught Clover's attention, who finally stood up with wide eyes and a look that was making him nervous. "What happened the first day?"

As much as he tried to stop him, he wasn’t unable to stop Tai from changing the photo. Now in front of them was the image of Qrow walking through the corridors, in the female uniform.

The image must be too much for James, because he loosened his grip just enough so he could jump on Tai and throw him to the ground between strokes only that caused laughter in the blond. He was very lucky that deep down he loved him and was holding back

"Did you wear a skirt?!" Clover's scream brought his head up, still completely flushed.

“It was Tai's fault! He told me that it was also part of the boys' uniform."

The other two were still staring at the wall, their mouths slightly open and their eyebrows raised. "Truth be told," said Clover, "you look hot."

"Right? That's what I told him. He also got a lot of dates for that. You owe me like 90% of your hookups"

"That’s it. Two can play this game”. With one last blow he got off Tai and went for his scroll. It was time for revenge.

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe I'll write a second part, with Tai's photos, I only need to find some hc I like.  
> Anyway, I hope it was good and you all have liked it. See you next time ^^


End file.
